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Over 1,300 Security Service Applicants Test Positive for HIV – Interior Minister

More than 1,300 applicants in the recent security services recruitment drive tested positive for HIV during mandatory medical screenings, Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has revealed.

Speaking before Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, the Minister highlighted the massive scale of the diagnoses, which has sparked critical discussions on how state institutions handle and communicate sensitive health data.

Addressing the committee, Mohammed-Mubarak explained that the government deliberately avoided sending out raw medical results to applicants to prevent psychological distress. He emphasized that delivering such life-altering news requires a careful, structured approach.

"In the recent recruitment, we had about 1,300 or so who tested positive for HIV," the Minister stated. "Can you imagine simply sending someone a result telling them they have HIV without proper context? That is not the standard procedure. These individuals must go through orientation and counseling."

To safeguard the privacy and mental well-being of the candidates, the ministry adopted a discreet notification system. Instead of detailing specific medical grounds in rejection letters, disqualified applicants were provided with dedicated contact lines to voluntarily reach out for clarity on their medical status.

Beyond HIV: Screening Detects Other Underlying Health Conditions

The Minister further disclosed that HIV was not the only significant health issue flagged during the rigorous screening process. Medical boards also detected high incidences of:

Hepatitis B
Cardiac anomalies
Underlying mental health conditions
Traces of substance abuse
Complications from previous major surgeries

A Pathway to Treatment and Future Recruitment

Despite the disqualifications, Mohammed-Mubarak urged unsuccessful candidates to utilize the provided contact channels to find out why they were turned down. He noted that many of the medical conditions discovered are manageable or entirely treatable if caught early.

"Some of the health issues we identified are treatable," the Minister encouraged. "People need to know their status so they can access the right medical care. Once they are treated and healthy, they can easily apply again in subsequent recruitment cycles."

He concluded by stressing that knowing one's health status, whether the issue is minor or major, is ultimately in the best interest of the applicants' long-term well-being.

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